Gas meter



Jan. 19 ,1926

GAS METER Filed Nv. 2, 1921 @www 1,5705214- T. FCDX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 T. FOX

GAS METER Jan. 19 1926.

Filed Nv. 2, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l l l L.

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vTHOMAS rox, or LIVERPOOL,v ENGLAND.

lParENT oFFicr..

GAS METER. i'

Application filed November 2, 1921. Serial No. 512,293.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, THOMAS Fox, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Liverpool', in the county of Lancaster and Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas Meters, of which the following is a specilication.

`This invention relates to dry gas meters.

It has been found that owing to the changed conditions of the manufacture of gas, the dry meter often passes large volumes of unregistered gas-. I A n This is attributable mainly to two causes; nrstly foreign matter is deposited on the valves and covers, thus allowing unregistered gas to escape to the exhaust. Secondthe gas acts on the diaphragm and strips t e dressing out of the leather. After this stripping has taken place, the leather commences to become porous and hard, and breaks away, and commences to pass unregistered gas, and the leather has had then but a short life, and considerable expense is entailed in overhauling the meters. l

According to our invention these defects are overcome in that the valve chamber is adaptedto retain a shallow bath of oil, and oil supply means are provided which differ from those previously proposed to supply oil p to the diaphragm in that oil is supplied to cover the valves and other working parts with a film and keeps the diaphragm pliable. Constructional features leading to thisY result will be described hereafter.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which t- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal elevation of the meter with the top chamber in section.

F ig. 2 is an end elevation of the meter.

Inside the top 10 of the meter 1 is situated t-he valve chamber 2 which encloses the valves 3. The valves 3 are of any known but it is essential that their seats 4 are above the level of the valve plate 5. The gas, entering the meter 1, travels down the side pipe 6 and then along the horizontal pipe 7. The pipe 7 may be situated below the valve plate 5 as shown in Fig. 1 in which case entrance to the valve chamber 2 is afforded by a hole in the valve plate 5.

' The pipe? ,may

raised on the satrary run hori- Zontally above the valve plate 5 to the top yor bridge 8 of the valve chamber 2 necessitating the provision of a hole in the bridge 8 to allow the gas to enter.

In the former case as shown in the drawings we form around the hole (not shown) in the valve plate 5 a vertical wall of like material the height of which wall above the valve plate 5 exceeds that of the valve seats 4. Fixed to the side of the meter 1 is a metal tube 9 of small cross section and of U form as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 provided at the top with a cap 11 adapted to be sealed to prevent interference and at the bottom with a bent portion 12 entering the valve chamber 2. Prior to use, or when necessary during use, oil is poured down the pipe 9 by which it enters the valve chamber 2 until of such a depth that it reaches half way up to the surface of the raised valve seats 4, thus entirely covering the bottom of the valve chamber 2. Owing to creeping of the oil it covers the valves 3 and valve seats 4; and all working parts and when these latter move, oil is thrown in small quantities down the valve ports on to the diaphragm of leather or like material 13. The oil is revented from entering the horizontal pipe 7 by the Wall which is fixed to the valve late 5 in any well known manner. The cap 11 is internally threaded to screw on the tube 9 and when the oil has been poured in this cap is sealed. Should the tube not be gas tight at the top end 11, the escape of gas from the valve chamber is prevented by the seal of oil in the U tube 9. When the meter is in usev oxidation of the surface due to the action of constituents of the gas is prevented by the film of oil which gradually creeps over the surface of the valve chamber.

While oil Vhas been referred to as the protective liquid it is evident that other liquids possessing like properties might be used instead of oil.

W'e declare that what we claim is 1. The method of protecting exposed parts of a dry type gas meter against the action of the gas, which consists in providing e, shallow bath of protective liquid around the valves, at a level below that of the valye seating, so that the liquid is delivered 1n small quantities to the valves by capillary action and by them directed to the leather diaphragm as a result of the movement ot said valves the oil also creeping over the surface of the valve chamber.

2. In a dry type gas meter means to supply oil to protect Working surfaces exposed to the action of the gas, comprising a gas inlet pipe, a valve chamber connected to said inlet pipe and adapted to retain a layer of oil freely exposed to gas entering said charmber, a pipe to supply oil to said chamber at any time and means to prevent the escape 10 of gas through said supply pipe.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 19th day of October, 1921. THOMAS FOX. 

